You know, it always amazes me that people look at the various "mental illnessess", and make them seem to be some horrible disease eating away at the poor "sufferers" brain. A typical one is Dissociative identity disorder is some really wierd, way out there thing.
I would argue that we all have it. We all have different sides to our personalities, the only difference being that people with D.I.D enter a fugue state when they are suffering an episode (among others), But I really don't think that it is so out there as many believe.
When viewed in comparison to other grave disorders , such as D.B.S.D (Delusional Belief System Disorder), D.I.D really, at the worst, offers harm to those who have it. Think of all the lunatics suffering from D.B.S.D who have started Crusades and Jihads because the God of their delusion orders them to.
I also would argue that some form of dissociating is fun. I mean, why do people take acid and 'shrooms, if disassociating is so terrible? Why do kids talk to imaginary friends, if it is so awful?
My thesis is that we need to reexamine our "labels", and begin removing ones that do not accurately describe a condition that is harmful to others or themselves. Why don't we label assholes who like to fight as suffering from Severe Asshole Disorder? How about the pompous assess who try to control everyone around them-we could label them as suffering from Severe Egotistical Idiot Syndrome.
My point is, these definitions are being made by less then perfect people, many of them who are unsufferable assholes, morons and fools. Aren;t those serious conditions as well?